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Consciously or unconsciously, slipping on a pair of sunglasses
changes the way we walk. But they’re functional. Yes they are,
and yet there you go strutting through lunch hour, checking
your reflection against a blasé still life in leather, rolling in like it’s
a photo shoot and not a court appearance; all that confidence
from a pair of glossy lenses—high heels for dark circles.
giving sleek cover, they conceal our windows to the soul
with a fine glacé layer so that street vendors, bleeding hearts
and gigolos can’t find their way inside. No other woman had
indulged in the transformative allure of sunglasses quite as
stunningly as linda Farrow. Without her, the high-fashion crowd
would still be squinting, or at the very least, exposed on their
smoke breaks. london seemed ready for it in 1970, when the
designer instinctively knew that something essential was missing.
Her formal fashion background and innate sense of style
primed that gorgeous transilience—the frisky jump from status
quo shades to luxury eyewear. Farrow was the first to see how
sunglasses could pump up the volume and vanquish sunlight.
In viewing original looks from the linda Farrow vintage line,
there is still a rush, the fresh audacity of turquoise, a splashy
pair with vector-graphic rainbows set coolly against white, the
sultry sweep of a cat eye and the wraparounds which were to
become Yoko Ono’s signature.
If a gal wanted a funky thick frame rocking a spontaneous
splatter of paint or a wide, hot pink number tinted just-enough
to a fan of jet black mascara-drenched lashes—linda Farrow
had the perfect pair. With daring forms, wild colors and unheard
of shapes, her sunglasses had iconic appeal immediately, yet
more than anything they had attitude, an exuberant swing that
was fun and expressive—the heat from a culture of leggy, edgy,
starry, danceable mania. One particularly spectacular pair
from the Fine Jewellery collection has flowing gold arms and
smoky lenses that look like out-of-this-world gemstones destined
for the lady who means business, smart, provocative, probably
in publishing, with big hair, the bangs, electro-shock nails and a
husky laugh.
Without a trace of contrivance, the designer’s pieces had an
impossible-to-fake pizzazz; lending an innocent enough myth that
anyone wearing a pair of linda Farrow sunglasses was somebody.
It’s a feeling that has never worn off. The brand’s irrepressible spunk
quieted down but never truly vanished, thanks to an amazing
discovery in 2002 made by Simon Jablon, linda’s son. Resting for
years in the family’s Islington property were boxes upon boxes of
vintage sunglasses from the 70s and 80s—pristine vestiges from a
fashionable past—which served as the ideal impetus to revive the
collection.
With his partner, Tracy Sedino, the heir to the Farrow legacy
designs for linda Farrow luxe, a line of ultra chic sunglasses with
a glamorous pedigree and a soft spot for the finest materials:
titanuim metal submerged in 24 karat gold, tips crafted from
buffalo horn. The Collaborations series has the duo working closely
with designers like Yohji Yamamoto, Dries van Noten and Erickson
Beamon to translate some of that lusty, ready-to-wear drama into
glasses that ice the top of a sexy, and at times, whimsical cake.
Similarly, the Projects collection have Simon and Tracy inviting
progressive designers like Alexander Wang, giles Deacon and the
ladies of Rodarte out to play. The styles capture an of-the-moment
cool without tripping into a surrealist tangle. One selection by
Rodarte was so sweet, it practically begged for a sunny disposition,
even on the cloudy days n Arianne Nardo Linda Farrow Vintage
lindafarrowvintage.com
